“Matt Damon.” —Matt Damon
Today’s quick review: Team America: World Police. Gary Johnston (Trey Parker), a successful Broadway actor, is recruited to join Team America, an elite counter-terrorism task force, for an important undercover mission. Gary must use all of his acting ability to infiltrate a terrorist cell and stop a global terrorist threat. But the team is torn apart from within when Gary admits his feelings for his teammate Lisa (Kristen Miller).
Team America: World Police is a puppet-based action comedy that spoofs the War on Terror. Packed with crude humor and violence, Team America is an action movie run amok. Mustering all the false drama it can, the movie presents even the most absurd situations with a straight face. Its gags range from tasteless to brilliant, and its story manages to satsify in spite of its deliberately shallow plot and characters.
Team America’s puppetry serves a crucial role in the movie. The use of puppets puts an extra buffer between the movie and its subject matter, allowing it to maintain a light tone in the face of exaggerated violence and biting social commentary. The entire endeavor feels like Trey Parker playing with his toys. The puppets are also used to comedic effect: the movie has a number of subtle jokes about the diminished scale of its characters.
Though the film is a political satire, it’s more silly than incisive. The over-the-top patriotism and bravado of Team America is shown as destructive, but it’s never seriously condemned. The film takes shots at the entire political spectrum, and it can be enjoyed as an action parody without drawing any serious conclusions from it. Its pop culture references have become dated, but a cursory knowledge of the early 2000s is enough to make them click.
Team America’s most divisive quality is its vulgarity. Team America has bursts of violence and sexual humor that are at the far end of the rating spectrum. The portions of the movie between these spikes are almost tame by comparison. The movie also features rampant swearing and pervasive use of stereotypes. These are effective sources of humor for the movie, but they are enough to turn off any sensitive viewers.
Try Team America: World Police if you’re in the mood for something excessive and ridiculous. Its mature content makes it a poor choice for polite company, but those willing to put up with its less tasteful gags will find the movie to be a rewarding trove of comedy. For a somewhat less vulgar comedy in a similar vein, check out Tropic Thunder, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, or Hot Shots!.
7.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for raunchy but effective humor.